Simple
“People connect with simple.”
- Dan Smith, Pastor, Momentum Church
At the top of this page is one of the simplest and most profound observations anyone has ever made to me. It is also one of my favorite. When Dan spoke these words, he was talking about why the iPod has been such a successful product. The iPod is simple. People connect with simple.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed while trying to learn to sing? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the very thought of singing? I have been. Let’s look at some things that conventional voice teachers say in a typical lesson, and their translations.
“You don’t have enough presence. Give it more support.”
Translation: “I don’t like the way you sound, so tense up.”
“Make your sound like a laser beam. Give it more support.”
Translation: “I’m in the mood to make goofy comparisons between sound and laser light, and tense up.”
“Breathe more carefully. Give it more support.”
Translation: “I don’t know how else to help you, so tense up.”
“Lighten up.”
Translation: “Now that you’re tensing up like I told you to, I don’t like what I’m hearing.”
“You’re tensing up. Relax, and give it more support.”
Translation: “I can see veins popping out of your neck, eyes popping out of your face, and teeth popping out of your mouth. Stop giving it more support, and goshdarnit TENSE UP!”
Relax, and while you’re at it, tense up.
Two of the most frustrating parts of my experience with conventional voice teachers is that they 1.) were routinely giving me conflicting messages and 2.) talking about sound in meaningless ways like telling me to make it like a laser beam. I often felt overwhelmed by the misinformation I encountered on a regular basis. One of my favorite features about Singing Success is that Brett teaches singing in highly meaningful terms. Brett makes learning to sing simple.
If you have ever been frustrated by the conflicting messages your voice teacher has given you, or if you have ever been overwhelmed by all the ambiguous language, click here.
If you are a voice teacher who has ever gotten looked at like you have toes growing out your forehead, if you suspect your students call you Satan behind your back, or if you have ever had a music stand thrown at your head, click here to learn simple methods you can teach your students.